Thick billows of dust and ashes accentuated the despair befalling the world of man. Tempests of fire and smoke swept through the land as though God Himself was taking back all that He created. Vines crafted from shadow matter choked the towers like greedy parasites until the stone structures could no longer hold their composure. Chunks of debris flew like cannonballs, demolishing other structures and injuring the warring triad of armies who were struggling to stay alive. Soulless bodies and limbs began converging towards one another until the moving pile of lifeless flesh began to take its form. This organism of dead bodies became the envy of all the necromancers who had managed to survive thus far. They could sense the raw matter that they could harvest from this creature, but were unable to due to a more powerful binding force giving the substance life. Carpets of bodies spread throughout different species writhed in agony. Among these were poor saps who were still on the verge of death. Barred from the gates of heaven and openly admitted right through the gates of hell, these multitudes of souls felt every forceful stitch of flesh binding together, every painful second of the endless moments before their "deaths" and every excruciating detail about the damnation that awaited them their whole lives. Geysers of hellfire erupted from the cracks in the ground where demons escaped their cursed bonds, hot enough to scorch the unwilling souls that continued to spread through each paved road, but not enough that these same essences are lost to oblivion.
Chains of shadow matter sewed these writhing masses of suffering flesh in a rich tapestry of agony personified. These misshapen bodies soon arose from the ground in which they were bound and started crawling up each surface much in the same way my castle's blood sought to convert the city into itself. From what I could see, the highest concentration could be found in the twisting tower where Lucifer must have been lying in wait. I smirked after realizing what he was trying to recreate.
Whatever remained of the mutilated carcasses spreading through the city clawed at everything that came near whether friend or foe. Willed by a shared hatred for everything around them, these fused limbs hurled corrosive masses of pure malice in globules of opalescent pus that sizzled with the intensity of the flames that burned them alive. Rivers of blood clasped from the fleshy wall linings flowed into streams which then fed my castle's insatiable appetite, thus starting a seething rivalry between Satan's dimension and my own. The combined wails of the damned were barely muffled by the swirling tempests of hellfire that continued to ravage the human remains of the city. Meanwhile tendrils of the castle's blood and the shadowy vines that grew from hell's gardens mixed into each other, each fighting for control and neither willing to give way.
I could see that the brutal change in landscape favored hell's minions, whose armor plates protected them from all sorts of harm at the cost of their mobility. Though my troops' advantages came in their sheer variety, certain strains were clearly not suited for combat in these conditions. Wargs were especially vulnerable to the demented claws sprouting out of the ground like wildfire, for their unprotected flesh tough as it was could not withstand sustained assaults from such sources. This left the lycans without their mounts and although they were some of the best suited troops in the previously paved roadways, they were now useless against the sheer surfaces that were taken over by hell's natural order. My castle now had to focus less on resurrecting my troops and more on drowning out as much of these meddlesome corpses as it could and reforming the stony roads that once dignified my abode.
I stared at the especially tall structure where Lucifer must have been watching. Crafted after the infamous tower that divided the world, Lucifer's pedestal howled with thousands upon thousands of unrecognizable voices that now only sought to die. From my distance I could not tell whether they were crying or chanting in a series of languages that I thought had long ago perished. Perhaps it was a combination of both. Much like the stories of old, the tower dwarfed every earthly structure with an ever-growing height that sought to reach the heavens. Built using the defaced bodies of original structure's builders, the thorny organism linked every single one of the lives it claimed as it wriggled like a bed of worms gasping for air.
I transported myself into the tower's peak and within moments of arriving, I was greeted by the first of the fallen angels. I saw his smug expression and repaid him with my own, for I could not suppress my own amusement. We stood face to face like monarchs discussing the state of their nations while thousands fought in their name.
"Gabriel. I must thank you for your role in welcoming me back. Had it not been for your…assistance, you and I would never have met under such circumstances."
"How are you here? I thought I already foiled your little ritual."
He sneered.
"There is no doubt in my mind that you could have, but in trying to fight against my acolytes you've only succeeded in hastening my inevitable return."
He started pacing about using occasional bouts of gestures. Unlike many of the other foes I faced, Lucifer relied more on his cunning rather than his prowess in combat. Though our last confrontation convinced me of his power, his physical might was overshadowed by his keen use of his intellect. He spoke with an elegant charm that subtly echoed with a hint of the devious malice that he was well-known for in every realm.
"Didn't you listen to your old friend Zobek? Your return has sparked nothing but chaos in the world of man. It made them question their beliefs, their perceptions of reality, and most of all their faith in a God who was doing nothing to stop it."
He waved an arm, creating an illusion that revealed the events of the past night.
"You see, we are both kindred spirits you and I. I knew that you would do everything in your power to obtain what you desired and I knew that my hapless children would be powerless against your might. Most of all, I knew that being that hateful creature that you are, you are prone to extreme displays of brutality the likes of which this current world would never be able to ignore."
The illusion showed the myriad of ways that I defeated the acolytes.
"Do you recall the same images that my children showed you through those mechanical light-boxes? Those machines are able to transmit similar messages all around the world at a speed that you cannot possibly fathom. While you were on your mission to slay my children, billions of humans were exposed to the reality that the centuries have forced them to forget."
"What about the acolytes? Are you so easy to forget about them?"
"You speak as though they served a purpose other than acting as bait. Yes. I needed them to prepare my summoning ritual and they would have succeeded if you left them alone. However it was through their spilled blood that the gates of hell were able to be broken and through your actions that my plans were able to meet their fruition."
I continued to gauge his actions, for he was likely planning something while we stood around in idle chit-chat. I knew that more of my power restored itself with each passing moment and with every soul claimed by my castle as my forces rampaged through the fields with battle. All I had to do was wait until the chance presented itself.
"I see, but that still does not explain how you were able to make it back."
"Simple. Do you recall that dark priest you unceremoniously butchered in front of those cowering monkeys? Do you remember the effect that your action had on all of them?"
"You mean those arrogant fools that thought they could fight against forces beyond their comprehension?"
"Yes. You may think that this act was leaning towards your advantage, for how it drew people to fear you and served to complete your end of the bargain with Zobek. However, I'm sure you understand that in murdering my son in such a way you have only created a martyr out of him. After seeing your display, it was only natural for the people to clamor for a savior, and as we can both see, the person they expected was and still is nowhere in sight. And so they turned to me. I didn't need much to get that reaction. All I had to do was send a few hundred of "your" demons in several interconnected cities and soon even the hardiest of skeptics could not deny what was before them."
I recalled the followers of the dark priest's congregation and how even with their combined might they would not be able to meet the gathering of souls needed to summon Lucifer, let alone open the gates of hell itself. If Lucifer's words contained any merit, then there would have been many thousands more of the dark priest's followers in foreign lands. Knowing that, there would have been no way for me to stop them in time by claiming their souls for myself. With that many desperate simpletons willing to forfeit their souls, there is no wonder that Lucifer was able to gather much more power than he required. This brought my attention to another matter.
"So it seems you have seen right through my son's plot."
"Yes, I have. After my initial defeat, did you really think I would cease to keep an eye on you? You who stole my throne on this Earth? You who ruined my plan to bridge my rebellion into heaven itself? You forfeited your seat of power the moment you chose to fall into that deep sleep! I am very well aware of your power, Gabriel, and how even now it looks to exceed that of my own. Even so, you and I can both see that your long sleep has cost your influence over this world."
"And so you wish to set a bargain. State your terms."
"I only wish that you turn your head the other way. You already know who I truly wish to fight against. For eons I helplessly sat in my cage, forever labeled the traitor when it was He who knew all along what I would do when He created me! Out of anyone else you should know how it feels to be used and betrayed against your will. Surely you can see how uncountable masses of these monkeys are destined to fall into my domain, while very few are permitted in heaven. Do you not see the injustice in that?"
His agitation quickly mellowed, almost as if he was pleading.
"The prophecies talk about His return seven years following this night. Help me, and together we will rid all creation of this absurdity!"
"What do I get in exchange?"
"My troops and I will immediately leave your kingdom for you to do as you please. I also guarantee you a place to rule by my side once we have dealt with my incorruptible Father."
I paused for a moment then tilted my head in sarcastic disbelief. All the while cracking a mischievous smirk.
"For all your cunning I thought you would have already expected my response."
"A pity it had to be like this."
He sighed, then summoned a twisted black staff that oozed with a tar-like substance resembling the markings embedded in his forearms. His glowing purple eyes emphasized his fair skin and long raven hair, as well as his almost-untarnished wings whose only true fault was that their plumes had darkened into a shade of onyx.
He assumed the same combat stance that he used during our last confrontation, with his staff covering his body while leaning slightly to the front on his right side. The similar cues of his movements made me recall Lucifer's mastery over light and shadow magic, and how he was able to channel both energies using that staff of his. He would doubtless use the staff as a makeshift shield, relying on it to protect him where his armor could not. Those wings of his indicated that most of our confrontation would likely take place in the air. I knew that my abilities were more focused on ground combat, but I would deal with those shortcomings later.
I readied my sword and deflected a shadow-magic charged blow which triggered explosive convulsions that trickled down the humongous tower in which we stood. By parrying his blow at just the right moment, I was able to disengage our weapons while slightly throwing him off balance. I took advantage of the short opening I created and smashed into him with my Chaos Claws. Though I applied enough force to liquefy lesser beings, I knew it would only cause a minor bruise against Lucifer if anything. Lucifer swiftly regained balance by using his wings to catch the wind and while in mid-air began launching a barrage of light and shadow magic seals that summoned a series of Reapers around me. These Reapers were special in that they could only be damaged by the opposing poles of the energy that maintained their form. Although I lacked the light and shadow medallions that I used against them in my previous encounter, my Void Sword and Chaos Claws hissed with the very same energies as the ancient relics. I dispatched these with ease, growing increasingly bored at Lucifer's lack of variation in tactics.
He raised his hand and channeled another series of light and shadow magic seals that now littered the ground. From experience, I knew that these were force fields that required me to channel the same energies using my relics in order to cross. That had been in my days as a human, however. Using my teleportation I was easily able to get behind Lucifer and smack him aside with the back of my bare hand. He flew up into the air and I followed suit, using a combination of my teleportation, levitation, and by briefly solidifying my blood into the shape of wings—a trick I undoubtedly learned from the usurper. We exchanged blows back and forth into the air, never stopping to see the warring forces beyond us. The gates of hell only continued to unleash more of its horrors, and only by defeating Lucifer could I ever hope to close it. I used my Shadow Whip to gain on him while at a distance and my void projections to both help propel me into the air and hurl freezing vortexes into the fallen angel's way. Lucifer did not struggle against these for his wings granted him a maneuverability in air that I was barely able to keep up with. Being an angel, it was not inconceivable to see how much more skilled he would be at aerial combat, and his current efforts were a clear testament to that. He was far more agile in the air, and used this to land a few devastating blows using the magic he channeled through his staff. I was able to unleash my share of damage using my glacial sword and flaring claws until he was wounded to the point of exhaustion, but it would take several hours for us to reach this state. It felt as though days were passing by on a blur, but neither of us were undeterred. Lucifer relentlessly used his use of illusions as well as his mastery over the sky to skilfully dodge my strikes. Had it not been for my own ability to teleport, I would have lost him in his attempts to recover at a distance farther than I could reach. We roughly circled around the tower's length several times, the both of us being sent a significant distance by every clean hit we could land. These were rare, however, and we spent most of our time trying to build, anticipate, and exploit enough opportunities against the other. Each using a balance of melee and magic, Lucifer and I crossed weaponry and spells at a rate that made time seem infinitesimal. Every movement counted, for we were treading upon the precipice of defeat with each passing moment. Lucifer would use his will to cause hurricanes to appear before me, while I would counter by freezing these distracting gales using my sword and hurling the broken pieces of their outlines like piercing daggers. Our aerial waltz continued on and on while the world was being torn apart by the savagery of the skirmishes taking place in the city. We duelled like gods in the sky, completely indifferent to the affairs of the mere mortals below.